Camels, Llamas May Carry Cure

Antibodies found in llamas and camels could one-day be used to better treat clostridium difficile (C difficile), thanks to new research being done at the University of Calgary.

Normally destroyed by antibodies found in our large intestine, C difficile clusters are able to grow when people are treated with antibiotics that disturb our normal bacteria. In a study published on 18 March 2011 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Dr. Kenneth Ng, an associate professor of biological sciences, discovered a relatively simple antibody found in the animals like camels and llamas can be engineered to interfere with disease causing toxins from clostridium difficile.